After being taken to a lab-type room for yet another series of tests, Rose was returned once more to her holding cell. This had been the routine for the past two days. She was given very little in the way of general care. Not even a clean change of clothes. She still wore the oversized white cotton night shirt she'd had on at the time she was taken. As for meals, all she had been given were some type of bland nutrient drinks to sustain her. She knew it wasn't out of any kind of concern for her well-being, but simply a necessity to keep her alive until they were through with her.

She had been poked, prodded and scanned so many times in the past two days that she was beginning to feel like a lab rat, and was treated about as such. She had lost count of how many vials of blood they had taken, along with just about every other kind of sample, including tissue and hair. She had never felt more violated in all her life, and at the moment there was nothing she could do about it. Rose had tried in vain to get past the bolt on her door, but it locked automatically from the outside when shut. She didn't know what she would do even if she could get it open because of the guards that seemed to be everywhere.

One thing was certain – whatever their ultimate plans were for her, it was going to get much worse than this. Lethridge had made that clear. So far the baby had been unharmed, but she didn't know how long that would continue to be the case, and she feared things would soon get worse. The thought of something happening to her unborn child was more than Rose could bear. Even if they didn't try to take the baby right away, she was only a few weeks away from her due date. She could not give birth in this place. The idea of that was too frightening to think about. What would they do to the baby once she was born? Rose feared she already knew the answer to that question.

Rose placed a hand protectively over her stomach as these thoughts continued to swirl in her mind. "We're gonna be okay, you and me," she pledged. "I won't let them hurt you. I promise. And right now your daddy is working on a way to get us out of here, I know he is. He'll come for us soon – just wait and see." She was fighting to keep her voice steady as she spoke.

It wasn't long before the door opened and she was taken once again to the laboratory. Rose did her best to maintain the positive thoughts she'd tried to impart to the baby on the chance that the unborn telepathic infant could sense her feelings. Rose did not want her child to experience fear before she was even born.

As Rose sat on the exam table, two of Lethridge's scientists were talking together on the far side of the room as they analyzed their current data.

"Do you think the offspring will have the same regenerative capabilities as the mother?" the shorter of the two men asked.

"It's difficult to say without knowing the genetic make-up of the alien's father," the other, slightly older and taller man responded. "Once we've separated it from the mother, our experiments will be able to tell us all we need to know."

Rose's heart stopped. They were planning to take the baby before she even gave birth. She wasn't going to wait to find out when. She had to get out of here – now. Rose had made things easier for herself by complying up until now, which she also knew was useful in gaining a measure of their trust. Thus, they had begun to let their guard down around her.

Rose knew she had to act quickly. She peered over at the thick glass window in the top of the lab's white aluminum door. Miraculously, she didn't see any guards around at the moment. She knew the door was self-locking, but the two scientists in the room each had a key. There was no time to lose.

She quickly glanced around the room for anything she could use as a weapon. There was a wheeled gurney she could use as a battering-ram. She could take out one of the men with that. As for the other, she would have to rely on her Torchwood defense training. Rose was more than capable of taking care of herself in a fight, but she had never had to do so while being nearly eight and a half months pregnant. But she had no other choice. Both men now had their backs to her. This may be her only shot.

She slowly slid off the table and quietly made her way a few feet over to the gurney. She gripped it tightly, then with all her strength, lunged forward and rammed it at the man closest to her. He was caught completely off guard, and the force of the impact slammed him into the wall where he hit his head and was knocked unconscious. The other man charged for her, but she grabbed him by the arm, twisted him, and rammed him in the stomach with her elbow. While he was hunched over from the blow, she quickly grabbed a metal tray and slammed it down over his head. He crumpled to the floor, and she wasted no time getting the keys off both of them.

Rose quickly made her way over to the door, and to her relief, there was still no one else in sight. She unlocked the door and slipped out, cautiously making her way down the hall. She didn't think she would be able to make it outside; there were too many guards to get past. Her only chance was to make it to the room with the transporter which had been used to bring her here. If she was very, very lucky, the very thing used to capture her could be her means of escape. She knew a thing or two about transport technology from her work with the Dimension Cannon, and if she could just get to it, she thought she would be able to operate it. The only problem was finding it and remaining undetected.

As Rose surreptitiously made her way down the corridor, she began hearing footsteps up ahead just around the corner. She doubled back and ducked into a nearby room, which thankfully was empty. As soon as the hallway was once again clear, she cautiously edged back out, glancing left and right to make certain no one else was coming. She quickly dashed down the corridor. Her pace slowed as she saw a sight that was almost too good to be true. Just ahead was the transport room. She reached it and peered through the door, and to her great relief, it was empty.

She slipped inside and was making her way over to the control panel just as the door was suddenly thrown open. Rose spun around to see Carl Lethridge, accompanied by three guards advancing toward her. Rose looked around in desperation for something – anything she could use to defend herself as she backed away from them, but it was futile. There was no escape. Two of the guards seized her as Lethridge came closer.

He marched up to her angrily and struck her across the face. "Did you really think it would be that simple?" he asked, seething with anger.

Rose didn't respond, just glared back at him, still breathing heavily from the rush of adrenaline at her near-escape.

"As I said, you will never make it out of here alive." Then a wicked smile came over his face. "I think you need to see first-hand just how hopeless your chance of escaping from here really is." He looked up at the guards and summoned them to follow him. "Bring her with me. There's something I want her to see, and the timing is perfect."

Rose was led into what appeared to be a security room. There were numerous screens on the walls, each showing a different view from various locations inside and outside the building. He walked over to a computer console and pulled up an image on the largest screen in the center of the room. It displayed a live-feed from outside.

Rose's heart leapt for joy at what she saw: The Doctor. It was the Doctor! And there with him were Pete and a team from Torchwood. He had found her – she knew he would! Rose could barely contain her elation at this sight she had longed to see. If this was Lethridge's idea of trying to make her lose heart, he had failed miserably. The volume was increased so they were able to pick up on what was being said.

Scanning equipment was brought out as the team began to survey the large, seemingly empty area. After several minutes of activity, Jake and Toshiko Sato, one of Torchwood's technical experts, approached the Doctor and Pete with their findings, which matched the results of the Doctor's own scans.

"There's nothing here and no sign that there ever has been," Jake concluded.

"And there is nothing to indicate that the phone signal could have come from here," Tosh added.

"Another dead end," Pete sighed. Then he looked at the Doctor. "But we've still narrowed it down to a thirty mile area," he added optimistically. "This may not be the right place, but at least we're getting close." He turned back to Jake. "Gather all personnel and tell them we're heading out. We have to keep searching."

In a matter of minutes, the equipment was packed and the team began moving out.

Before leaving, the Doctor cast one final look over his shoulder at the empty property. Rose held her breath. It almost appeared as if he was looking right at her. Then he dropped his gaze and turned to leave.

Rose watched in horror as she was left behind. "No!" she yelled in desperation. "Doctor!"

The only response she received was mocking laughter. "All hope lost?" Lethridge asked tauntingly.

Rose turned her head away, unable to look at him, the sight of his face making her sick to her stomach. He reached out and roughly grabbed her chin, forcing her to turn back and look at him.

"You think you're feeling pain now," he began, malice dripping from his voice, "but we haven't even begun. It's time to commence the next phase. And I'll warn you: Many we've studied have not survived past what is coming next."

Rose didn't even have the strength to resist as she was led away. Her last shred of hope had been ripped from her. The Doctor was here, so close, yet he turned and walked away. She knew now that there was no escape. No one would ever be able to find her. This was it. This was how it would all end, and there was nothing she or anyone else could do to stop it.

Rose was taken back to the laboratory and her wrists and ankles strapped to the table. Electrodes were placed on her forehead and attached to a machine nearby.

Lethridge addressed the others in the room who stood observing. "And now let's see just how much pain her species can endure before her body begins to shut down."

Rose knew this wasn't just a scientific experiment. It went beyond that. He gained a sick satisfaction from inflicting pain on aliens he viewed with disgust and deemed unworthy to live. Rose shuddered as she wondered how many others before her had been subjected to this same torture, some, according to Lethridge, to the point of death.

She swallowed heavily and braced herself, her heart pounding, as he gave the order to begin. The machine was activated and Rose suddenly felt a searing pain shoot through her entire body. She clenched her teeth and fought against the urge to scream, not wanting to give them the morbid satisfaction.

"Increase the intensity," he ordered.

Another jolt of pain coursed through her. She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms. With the next round of assault, she couldn't hold back any longer and let out a scream. She reached a point where she wished if they were going to kill her, they would just get it over with. But then she summoned her resolve and fought against it. No, she thought, she would not succumb to this.

Rose soon found, however, that she was fighting a losing battle. She didn't know what effect this was having on the baby, but she did know that neither one of them could withstand much more of this.

She was losing awareness of what was happening around her and didn't realize she had been given a hallucinogenic drug to add additional mental distress to the physical pain she was experiencing. All she knew was that the face of the man tormenting her had suddenly morphed into the face of the Doctor. She watched in horror as the Doctor, the man she loved, gave the orders to increase her pain. He looked directly at her, his eyes pure evil.

This was not her Doctor, she had to tell herself. He would never do this to her. Rose squeezed her eyes tightly shut to block out the image. If she was going to die here and now, then she wanted her last thoughts to be of the Doctor, but not like this. She forced away the thoughts of the heinous image and focused on her Doctor.

Despite the pain that racked her body, she had a renewed determination to fight against this and protect the baby. She focused on the precious life inside of her as she began to lose consciousness. She was unaware of the faint, golden energy that began to swirl inside her. A small remnant of Bad Wolf that had remained within her now came to life and encompassed the baby, shielding her from harm. It was only a faint whisper of the power Rose had once held within her, but it was just enough to sustain them both.

-:-

Rose was only vaguely aware of being dumped back on the cot in her cell. She honestly didn't think she was going to survive that ordeal. Not only had she survived, but somehow she knew that the baby was okay.

After several minutes of recovery, she began to regain her strength and pulled herself up into a sitting position as she placed a hand over her stomach.

It was in that moment that she saw the Doctor, her Doctor, materialize directly in front of her. Suddenly, everything she had gone through no longer mattered. It was all forgotten in this moment because the Doctor was here – finally here. Unaware of the hallucinogenic compound that hadn't fully left her system, she reached her hand out for him. Her face instantly fell as her hand passed right through.

"You're not real," she whispered, her voice breaking.

He stepped closer and knelt in front of her. "But I am coming, Rose. You have to believe that. Don't give up. Don't ever give up." His image locked eyes with her, and instead of the fiendish look that tormented her earlier, she now saw those deep, brown eyes full of fathomless love that could look right into her soul and make her forget everything else around her. "I'm coming, love," he assured her. "I'm coming."

His image then faded and she was once again alone. But a spark of hope had ignited deep inside her.

It was soon replaced by fear, however, as a sensation of pain suddenly gripped her. But this wasn't like the pain she had felt earlier. No, she knew exactly what this pain meant.

"No," she whispered. "Not now. Please, not now."

She was going into labor.